Talk:Girl Meets Money/@comment-26999065-20160123034648
A couple of good points in this episode - one where it’s shown just how disproportionately the wealth of the world is distributed, and the other about how little teachers are paid. If nothing else, it’s food for thought. These things should make individuals even in the lower economic classes in America perhaps realize that compared to the majority of the world, they actually have it pretty good. In fact, I was thinking the other day that George Washington was one of the richest people in our country’s history. He was the father of our country. But despite that, his standard of living may have been worse than the majority of people’s standard of living in this country today – even Maya’s. We have better and safer food, heating and cooling, access to medical care so we don't die so easily from childhood diseases or relatively minor accidents that could kill a person if not properly treated, and also dental care so we don't live for years in oral pain, not to mention clean water and in-door plumbing, reasonable sanitation for we can avoid even getting most diseases, and information at our finger tips we can use to improve ourselves and our society – and usually the freedom to do it. Our life expectancy is WAY up from even just a couple hundred years ago. Even a relatively poor person, like Maya, may not realize how far we’ve come and how good she has it compared to many others in this world, or even the wealthiest people in times past. It’s a good thing of which to be mindful. For the second point it’s shown how teachers are undervalued by society. It’s also something to think about. Historically, teaching has been a calling, almost like a religious calling. In fact, at first the primary reason for teaching at all was to teach kids how to read so they could read the Bible, so you can guess how these things have been historically tied together. But without that calling, I’d question the motives and quality of a teacher – like they were there not for the kids, but for the money. If there is no great wealth to be earned there, there can be little doubt they are there for the kids and not the money. Still, I think they should earn more – if not in actual cash, then societal perks – greater respect, free health care, and enough to own a home, at least by the time they have put in a good 20 years, for example – instead of living paycheck-to-paycheck and never being able to afford a home. Or maybe the community could provide a home for the teacher while they are teaching there, thus allowing them to save money for years that they’d otherwise have to spend on rent or mortgage payments. Society would only have to buy it once, and then maintain it for the teacher. When they retire, they actually have enough to buy a small place elsewhere. But I digress. So, what to do about this disproportionate distribution of wealth, if anything? Stuart points out his disbelief in Farkle’s initial suggestion or gut reaction – give it all away – You will never control this company. In general, that’s the correct response by Stuart – for he knows that by giving it all away, you give a one-time gift and then it’s gone. Forever. Give a man a fish, he eats for a day – teach a man to fish, he could eat for the rest of his life. Distribute Minkus International amongst the poor masses, and it’s gone – no longer producing anything, inventing anything, or helping anyone, or providing jobs for anyone. Not a good solution, when you think about it. I'm glad his vision paid off and he's not losing his company, and its future is assured and Farkle will inherit a healthy company. It is, after all, a good first step to taking over the world - a good starting position from which to do something more meaningful, if only he can figure out what that might be. This will be his best chance. In the end, I didn’t see any new or real solutions offered up in this episode, but Maya’s outlook perhaps shows us something instructive. Give Maya a roof, that’s it – but teach her how to fix roofs, etc. They didn’t teach her a skill here. But these things take time. She knows this. As Maya said, get a good education (from Cory or your teachers), earn stuff yourself (in time, thanks to her education, she’ll find a job she’s good at and pays something), and help others when and if you can afford to (just the desire to do that is important, but often lacking in many). Think globally, but act locally. You can’t feed the world, but maybe you can help feed your neighbor, or help them learn to feed themselves. But by earning and buying stuff herself, Maya will add to the economic health of the system and help to support jobs for others. And by giving to charity, when she can afford it, either in time or money, she’s part of the secret of life and part of the solution rather than part of the problem – people change people, people can help each other, and should. Good things to think about, certainly – and some good laughs along the way. A good episode. Loved the exasperation on Riley’s part each time Cuban dissed the Knicks. FYI, Riley wears a T-shirt with the Eiffel Tower on it that says, in French, “The City Of Love,” and Maya wants to walk along the Champs-Élysée (it means The Elysian Fields, which was a place for the dead Heroes in Greek mythology) - and it’s a famous street in Paris with many theaters, cafés, and shops. In Game Night, Riley did express an interest to go backpacking in Europe with her BFF, and in Creativity, she did want to drink tea in a Paris street/sidewalk café. I guess it’s just a dream these girls share, for now. Or maybe not, since Maya said one lesson was to know and accept they would never do that. One day, I hope they make it to Paris - to visit - but I'd hate for America to permanently lose a couple of great citizens like these BFFs, so while Paris is a nice place to visit, I hope they don't want to live there.